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TORONTO - Toronto FC's hill just seems to get steeper.
The four-time defending Canadian champion has suffered another blow with the start of the CONCACAF Champions League two weeks away. The Major League Soccer club on Monday announced that Dutch forward Danny Koevermans will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the year.
Koevermans injured the knee during a challenge with A.J. Soares in the 41st minute of Saturday's 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution.
The 33-year-old Koevermans was the team's leading scorer in MLS this season with nine goals in 16 games and had two goals in 10 games to help Toronto into the semifinals of this past seasons' Champions League.
The loss of Koevermans comes amid several recent transactions at the club, including last month's replacement of coach Aron Winter with Paul Mariner, the loan of Jorge Plata to LDU Quito, the termination of the contract of forward Nick Soolsma and the trade of Canadian international midfielder Julian De Guzman to FC Dallas - all three within the last week.
Toronto, which endured an 11-game winless streak beginning in March, has won two straight, lost only one of its last eight and opens its Champions League season August 1 against Aguila of El Salvador at BMO Stadium.
